Lifeblood
by Linali
Summary: A R/Hr fic, eventually, though for now it's not. The three friends have been split up, and are still not sure why. Now they're back together. *update Ch.7*
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or anything about it. Sucks to be me.   
  
Author's Note: Well, I know a few people who are going to disown me for writing this, but it's a R/Hr ficcy. Other pairings that may or may not show up: H/G, Angelina/Fred. I don't think I'll throw the rest of my weird storyline stuff into this just yet.   
  
  
~Lifeblood~  
  
"I can't believe it's finally over," a skinny boy with dark hair and stunning green eyes commented, flopping down in a ratty, overstuffed chair in the living room of the Burrow. His tall, red-headed companion flopped down on the couch not far from him,   
"-I- can't believe Hermione got a perfect score on the final exam," he replied, "That should be against the rules or something. I mean, impossible!"   
  
The only female in their little group shook her head, fluffy brown locks swishing over her shoulders,   
"Well -maybe- if you two had studied more, rather than gallavanting off on your little adventures, you would have made better scores. Although I do have to admit I'm surprised I got full marks. I was sure I had at least one of the Potions questions completely wrong."   
She sat quietly down on the couch next to her red-headed friend, who clapped her familiarly on the shoulder,  
"We knew you'd do fine, Hermione," he reassured her,   
"You're all brains."   
  
The girls eyes flickered for a moment, and she looked almost about to cry,   
"You don't -really- think that, do you, Ron?" she asked. The other boy quickly got up out of his seat and moved to the other side of the girl,   
"Of course we don't, Hermione, we know you better than that. He was just teasing," he reassured her. Hermione nodded, biting her lip. She'd gone through a messy break-up with Viktor Krum about just that topic a few months ago and she was still hurting. they both knew.   
  
Ron gave her a hug,   
"I'm sorry, didn't mean to upset you...Think about it though, we're done with Hogwarts! Completely! No more classes, no more Snape, no more bloody Slytherins!"   
Harry laughed,   
"That's definitely a plus. But...what if we never see each other again? I mean, I know you're going to work for the ministry, Ron, and I'm going to the Chudley Canons...and Hermione's starting work with the Ministry of Magic. We'll be all separated.."   
  
Hermione swatted his shoulder, "Don't be silly, Harry," she remarked, "We'll never lose contact."   
  
~~  
  
"Oh bloody..." The woman stopped, putting her hands on her hips as she stood in front of the large creature, glaring up at it,   
"What in the world's this doing -here-?" she demanded.   
  
Not far from the creature was a nervous looking man who wrung his hands constantly and looked halfway between a heart attack and pure delight. He was of average height, with long, stringy black hair that fell into his amber-brown eyes and big, full lips that looked like he'd been chewing on them a lot,   
"Well, y'see Ms. Granger..." he began, but she silenced him with a raise of her hand,   
"You know, now that I think about it, I really don't want to know what it's doing here. I just want you to take it back to Romania, where it belongs. Talk to Charles Weasley, he'll tell you what to do."   
  
The man stammered out a thank you and quickly skittered off, the dragon pulled closely behind along with all the other various wizards keeping the giant beast under control. Hermione huffed.   
"I can't believe I was called down here for -this-!" she complained to no one in particular. She had been in the middle of filling out important paperwork for the ministry when they'd summoned her with the message that some moron had brought a dragon dangerously close to Muggle territory. Ever since Arthur Weasley had retired two years ago, she'd been the one they called whenever anything involving Muggles was happening. In truth, it was starting to grate on her nerves a bit.   
  
A flash of red caught her eye, and she smiled softly. It was just a little girl, wandering into the clearing, but even so Hermione couldn't help the cheerfulness that accompanied the sight. The girl was small, probably around six or seven, with bright red hair tied back in a simple braid. She had inquisitive blue eyes that seemed to search everywhere at once.   
  
Quickly, the woman ducked behind the nearest tree. Dressed as she was in wizard's clothing, she knew she couldn't let the girl see her, it would upset the Muggles. Unfortunately, she still couldn't pry herself away. It had been seven years since she'd graduated from Hogwarts, and she hadn't seen any of the Weasleys, whom this girl so much reminded her of, in six. In fact, she hadn't seen Harry either, although she'd heard quite a bit about him of course.   
  
She sighed, finally apparating back to her office to start in on the paperwork again. It was going to be a very long day, and it had only just started. After the paperwork she had a meeting with the Minister of Magic, then an interview with one of the reporters for the Wizard's Weekly concerning a recent episode involving the smuggling of illegal magical items to Muggles that she had accidentally, though quite happily, put an end to. It seemed that even with their lack of presence Ron and Harry still managed to rub off some of their knack for trouble on her.   
  
A tapping on her window half an hour later jolted her back to attention, and she quickly glided her chair over towards it, opening the window to let the snowy white owl who had been pecking at it in. The owl slipped through the window, depositing a letter on her lap, and then rubbed affectionately against her shoulder.   
"Cute little thing, aren't you?" she asked, patting it softly, a tender smile on her lips, then taking up the letter and quickly breaking the seal. It wasn't a Ministry letter, that much she could tell. The seal was too informal for that. She did, however, have to wonder who the letter -was- from.   
  
Author's Note again: Yah, I know, it sucks so far, but it'll get better. I'll update whether or not I get reviews, but I do appreciate reviews if you want to give them. 


	2. An Old Friend

Updates on Pairings: I'm going to throw in a couple of OC's for balance, but this is still a R/Hr fic.   
  
~Lifeblood~  
  
Hermione could feel the butterflies flutter in her stomach as she read the letter. The writing was all too familiar, and just the sight of it brought an even warmer smile to her face.   
  
Dear Hermione,   
  
I know it's been a while since we last talked, but I've been busy, just like I know you have too. Anyways, Percy's getting married soon, and I thought you might like to come. Please send an owl.   
  
Always,   
Ron  
  
She folded the letter neatly, setting it on her desk and then pulled out her quill, at the same time digging for some sort of treat to give to the owl who was still rubbing against her shoulder.   
"There you are," she whispered, finding one at last and letting the bird take it from her. Then she wrote a note telling Ron that she'd be delighted to come, and when was it and the usual pleasantries.   
  
The owl tilted its head to the side, watching her carefully as she tied the letter to it's leg and patted it on the head. It cooed softly, and she laughed,   
"There now, be a good owl and take that back to Ron for me, will you?" she asked. The bird promptly ceased its previous actions and fluttered out the window.   
  
Hermione stood up, watching it leave. It had been so many years since she had seen her two closest friends. She wondered if they had changed as much as she felt she had. It would be nice to see them, of course, and to see the rest of the Weasleys as well.   
  
That brought on another thought. Percy was getting married, was he? Well, that was not much of a surprise, considering how close he and Penny had been these past few years, but why hadn't he been the one to invite her? She did hope that Ron had at least asked his permission first.   
  
"Ms. Granger, there's a visitor for you outside," a voice boomed inside of her office. That would be her boss. She sighed, pattering over to the door,   
"All right, I'll keep it quick," she informed him, and then stepped outside of the building. Her eyes lit up as they fell upon the waiting figure.   
  
"Harry!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly,   
"What are you doing here?"   
  
The man laughed, hugging her as well and stepping back a bit to get a good look at her,   
"My my, Hermione, you -do- look different," he teased, swatting at a curl. She could feel herself blush,   
"Well, I figured out a few less complicated spells to keep my hair under control," she conceded,   
"I feel very conceited about it, but I thought it made me look more...professional."   
  
He grinned, hugging her again,   
"It does, it does...and anyways, I'm here because I've finally got a break from the Canons long enough to make my way over here."   
  
The woman frowned, "A break, Harry?" she asked tentatively. He looked into her eyes for a moment, then sighed,   
"Well..an injury break. Pulled a muscle in my back."   
  
Her eyes grew wide,   
"Oh -Harry-!" She shook her head, "That's -awful-!"   
  
"Not so bad, Hermione," he said, smiling again, "Gave me a chance to get over here, didn't it? Did you hear about Percy's wedding? Seems they're inviting half the wizarding world."   
  
"Oh so you got an invitation too? I hope Ron asked Percy if it was all right first."   
He swatted her arm playfully, "You worry too much. Of course he did, he's Ron...say, why don't we head down to the cafe for a bite to eat?"   
  
"Oh all right, but only for an hour or two. I really do have to get back to work," she conceded.   
"That's all I ask." he grinned, taking her arm in his and leading her towards the cafe down the street. 


	3. Mixed Feelings

Author's Note: I probably should have mentioned the Percy/Penny pairing in the last note. Whatever. Anyways, much thanks to those who have reviewed, I appreciate your comments. Updates will probably be frequent for the time being because I'm on a writing frenzy. I can't stop. *g*   
  
~Lifeblood~  
  
The sun was bright, shining down on the softly curled brown locks of Hermione's hair as she chatted companionably with Harry. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed spending time with him and Ron, really, in all this time.   
  
"And so I just sent them off to Romania. I'm sure Charlie will be able to deal with the dragons, and someone else will take care of whatever punishments need to be given."   
She had just recounted the day's events so far to him, and Harry was listening in that animated way that showed her he -was- actually listening.   
  
"Well, I still think you could have waited a bit longer. I know I wouldn't mind having a look at a dragon." he said eagerly. Hermione laughed, some things never changed.   
  
"So are you actually going to the wedding, Harry?" she asked, "Or do you think you'll be too busy?"   
  
Harry laughed, "Well, I don't think my back's going to be any better within the week, so I'll be able to get the time off," he commented. Hermione's eyes grew wide,   
"Within the -week-?" she asked, her voice nearly a gasp, "You're -kidding-? So fast?"   
  
Her friend blinked, "Early? What are you talking about? They've been planning this for months."  
  
Hermione's mouth opened then closed as she shook her head, setting down the spoon she had been using to stir her coffee.   
"Months? I just got the invitation not five minutes before you showed up," she told him. Harry regarded her thoughtfully, stirring his own cup.   
  
"That -is- odd, Hermione. Well, maybe the owl just got lost," he commented. He was trying to make the whole thing sound more cheerful, but Hermione wasn't convinced.   
  
"It's not like I've been moving around, Harry...I'll just have to ask Ron when I get there..when is it, exactly?" She took a sip from her coffee, trying to calm her suspicions.   
Was it possible she wasn't supposed to be invited at all? Or maybe they had just forgotten to send it off. That would be almost as bad. She decided not to worry about it. It would all be explained in time.   
  
"How's Quidditch going, then, Harry?" she changed the subject, preferring to hear about the Chudley Canons rather than whatever might be going on with the wedding.   
  
"Oh it's all right. We did rather well last year...I know you don't keep up with Quidditch or I wouldn't have told you, but this year's not going so well, especially with me out of commission."   
  
Hermione nodded, knowing her friend wasn't being conceited so much as stating a true fact,   
"You are one of the best Seekers ever to hit the wizarding world. I read about it."   
  
The black-haired man grinned,   
"Always reading, Hermione. You really are the brains of our group."   
Hermione patted his hand, taking another sip from her coffee,   
"Oh you're wrong about that. You two had perfectly functioning brains as well. You just didn't -use- them as much."   
  
Harry laughed, shaking his head so that the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead became visible,   
"We had other things on our minds."   
  
"Like Quidditch," she teased.   
  
"And girls."   
  
They both laughed. It was true, of course. Harry and Ron had spent a good bit of time in the Gryffindor common room discussing those very topics. For the most part, when it came down to the girls one, Hermione had retreated to the library.   
  
"I've missed you, Hermione," Harry said softly, smiling, "And Ron. I still think back on our days at Hogwarts all the time. If it hadn't been for you two...I suppose I would've been fairly miserable."   
  
"So would I," Hermione laughed, "None of the Gryffindors really tolerated me except you two. Probably because I talked too much."   
"Not much has changed," he teased, and she swatted him again,  
"I do not talk too much, Harry Potter!"   
  
And so, for the next few hours they talked about old times, and about what had happened since they last saw each other. Something was bothering Harry, Hermione could tell, but she didn't want to ask because it seemed he really didn't want to talk about it.   
  
She glanced at her watch, sighing heavily,   
"I suppose I ought to get back to work," she said, standing up and placing her fork on her plate. Harry stood up as well, and walked over to give her a hug again,   
"It's really been nice seeing you again, Hermione. We should all get together again sometime. Start answering your owls."   
  
Confused, Hermione waited a few moments too long to ask him what he meant by that, and he was gone, leaving her to walk back to her office alone and puzzle out his comment. 


	4. Weasley family reunion

Several days had passed since she'd last seen Harry, and the day of the wedding was fast approaching. Hermione had decided that, rather than just randomly showing up for the first time the day of, she'd go a few days earlier and say hello to the Weasley family.  
  
Of course, she'd had to ask Harry for directions on how to get there, not having been herself and still wanting to surprise Ron and Ginny and the rest with her sudden showing up. And so, here she was in her car, looking around for a nicely secluded area she could use to apparate while not having to go -too- far.  
  
She spotted it after none too long, and quickly made her way towards the small alley. It was dark and musty in comparison to the open, sunny areas beyond it, but she didn't really pay much attention to that. Nothing was going to ruin Hermione's good mood today.  
  
Disappearing and then instantly reappearing in front of the Burrow, she looked about her. It was a homey, cheery place even from the outside and she could tell that love lived there. It was so nice to see such a thing. A lot of the places she'd been forced to visit on her work in the Muggles and Magic department had been rather cold and distant in aura.  
  
She had started down the driveway, towards the door, when she heard a lot of noise that seemed to be coming not from the building, but from just behind it. Slowly, she made her way around the house and to what she assumed would be the backyard (you never knew with wizard families, though).  
  
She was right. There in the yard behind the house was a large picnic table set up that seemed impossibly long, and gathered at the table she recognized the heads of each of the members of the Weasley family, along with a few people she -didn't- recognize, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Penny Clearwater, and Harry. Angelina didn't surprise her much, as it was a well-known fact that the woman had been dating Fred Weasley for quite some time, though nobody was truly sure how long.  
  
She hadn't, however expected to see Harry. Not that she wasn't pleased, of course. Oliver too, was a surprise, and the little girl latched to his arm confused her as well. Silently, she watched as one of the two girls she didn't recognize stood up. She was tallish, to say the least, with unnaturally bright red hair and dark green streaks scattered throughout it. Her eyes were a deep amber in colour, and sparkled with mischief.  
  
"Oy don't know whatcher thinking, Billy-boy!" she cried in what was quite obviously a very Australian accent as she ruffled the older Weasley's hair,  
  
"But yer wrong! Oy've got proof of it, I 'ave."  
  
Bill Weasley laughed, shaking his head, "I doubt that, Ivy," he said, "You can't very well have proof of -that-."  
  
Her eyes twinkled as she sat back down, "'Course I can."  
  
Angelina, who was sitting next to the girl, shook her head, laughing, "Sometimes I think you flirt more with Bill than his supposed girlfriend. Whom, I might add, we have yet to meet." The teasing lilt in her voice was unmistakable, of course, and Bill laughed again, "Oh you'll meet her sooner or later," he commented.  
  
"Hopefully -before- the wedding!" Hermione heard Ron pipe up from down the table a ways. This, of course, caused the whole family to crack up laughing. 


	5. Hermione's Confusion

After everyone had stopped laughing Hermione stepped forward, closer to the table. Harry was facing her direction and saw her, but merely winked and continued his conversation with Ginny, who was sitting next to him. The rest of the family also seemed quite distracted, which made it all that much easier to sneak up on them.  
  
"I say, is that wand sanctioned by the Ministry of Magic?" she asked, putting on her best official voice and pointing to Ivy's wand, which the older woman was waving around to emphasize some point she was making. The thing was purple and glittery, though how -that- happened, she hadn't quite said just yet.  
  
She could see everyone stop their actions when they heard her voice, and most talking stopped at the table as well (except for Ivy, who seemed incapable of that particular action and continued chattering pleasantly with Fred).  
  
The first person to react, though, was Ron, who scampered out of his seat across from Harry and trotted over to her, "Hermione!" he cried, hugging her tightly, "It's so good to see you again! I'm glad you finally started answering your owls. What have you been -up- to?"  
  
Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion, again with the accusations that she wasn't answering the owl messages. "What do you mean, 'finally started answering my owls'? I haven't -gotten- any owl messages from you or just about anyone else for the past six years!"  
  
Ron's jaw dropped open and he blinked, stuttering a bit in confusion, "But...but...me'n Harry have been sending you owls since a week after we all split up. We gave up the weekly attempts after a couple of months, but we still try every once in a while."  
  
She didn't know what to say. She really hadn't gotten any owls from them, and if it was true that they'd been sending her some...then something was amiss. Another thought occurred to her, "But then why didn't you come see me?" She asked.  
  
"Well we tried, 'Mione, but every time we got near the Ministry people would tell us you were busy and you didn't want to speak to us. So we stopped."  
  
The woman bit her lip, "Well, I never heard about any of this. It's very odd."  
  
Ginny, who had gotten out of her seat by this time and made her way around the table, threw her arms around Hermione's neck, "Well, it doesn't matter anymore!" she said, hugging her friend, "Because you're here now, and obviously we'll be able to keep in contact with you now, right?"  
  
Hermione nodded, grinning and hugging the youngest Weasley back, "Right. At least, you'd better....so...who are these other people?"  
  
Ginny turned around, facing the table, "Well you know the family, of course," she said, beginning her introductions, "The rest...well, you know Angelina. The strange green-streaked redhead waving the wand around is Ivy Johnson, Angelina's cousin from Australia. Ehm...The woman with the curly blonde hair next to Oliver is his wife, Janet, and the little one attached to his arm is their daughter Cassi."  
  
Hermione nodded, taking this all in, "Oh I see, that does clear things up quite a bit." She smiled towards the two women, who were now regarding her rather curiously, "I'm Hermione Granger..a friend of Ron, Harry, and Ginny's."  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "And the rest of us as well. Come, Hermione, dear, sit at the table with us and tell us what you've been up to." 


	6. Reminisces

Author's Note: Thank you to all who have reviewed! I do appreciate the feedback! I hope you enjoy! *smiles*  
  
~Lifeblood~  
  
It felt good, chatting with everyone like she had today, and though it was now getting late most of the family was still out at the table, talking away. She'd told them all about her adventures working for the Ministry of Magic, had heard about Harry's Quidditch matches, about Ron's own work with the Ministry involving experimental spells, and listened to Ivy talk about how different Australia was.  
  
Hermione hadn't felt so content in a very long time, and looking over the table she knew that she would never feel more at home than when she was with all of these people. The only things missing were her parents, but really, she'd seen them often enough that she supposed the novelty involved with seeing the Weasleys again would not extend to seeing her parents again.  
  
Her eyes met Ron's, and she gave him a friendly smile, even with the butterflies welling up in her stomach again. It'd been so many years, and yet still the smile of his made her feel warm inside. It always had, in truth. It was just so -infectious-.  
  
She stood, pushing her chair in as she moved behind it, and then walked over to the house after explaining to Ginny, who was seated next to her, that she was going to go to the bathroom. She wasn't, of course, she just wanted time alone to let things sink in.  
  
She settled into one of the huge, overstuffed chairs in the sitting room and curled up with her knees to her chin, sighing softly. It was so cheerful here, so wonderful. She regretted terribly that she had somehow been kept from sharing all of this with them. So much time she'd missed in Harry and Ron's lives. But why? Why hadn't she received the owls that, most assuredly, had been sent? And why had her coworkers turned them away when they came to see her?  
  
She bit her lip almost hard enough to make it bleed. Well, she'd just have to ask them when she went back to work. She almost wished she'd asked for another couple of days off, just so she could stay around the Weasley family a bit more, but she knew she really was needed. So instead, she settled for deciding to stay here as late as possible. At least she could spend as much time as she could with them while she had the opportunity.  
  
Hermione smiled a bit. Maybe she'd get Harry and Ron to talk to her alone later. That would be nice, just the three of them. Like old times. Oh she missed that. She was getting tired of the Ministry of Magic constantly on her back, asking her to get this done and that done...it was like she never got time to herself anymore. No wonder she didn't have a social life.  
  
She heard the door to the outside open and close, and footsteps coming closer to the sitting room. 


	7. Questions that need Answering

"Hermione, what're you doing in here?" Ron asked, ducking inside the sitting room and taking a seat on the couch, which was next to her chair.  
  
She smiled at him, tossing her softly curled locks over her shoulder as she let her feet fall back to the floor rather than having them up on the chair with her, "Just thinking," she told him, standing up and walking over to sit on the couch next to him.  
  
"It's been a while," she said softly.  
  
Ron nodded, his red locks swishing about his head as he did so, "It has. I thought you were mad at us, blocking us out like that...but you really didn't know?" He looked relieved and ashamed all at the same time, and it didn't take much thinking for Hermione to figure out why.  
  
She shook her head, "I had no idea you and Harry were trying to reach me." She put her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "Besides, I'd let you know if I was mad at you. Remember after the Fluffy incident? I refused to speak to you."  
  
Ron laughed, hugging her back, "I remember all right. Hate to say it, but Harry and I were actually glad of it back then. Not now, though. I'd hate it if you stopped speaking to me now."  
  
Hermione grinned, "Well I won't, make no mistake of that."  
  
There was a brief silence, and they suddenly realized that neither of them had bothered to let go after their hug. Ron's face turned as red as his hair before he quickly moved away, "Sorry about that," he muttered under his breath.  
  
She laughed, ruffling his hair a bit, "You oughtn't be. I was doing it too." She commented, sounding a lot more confident than she really felt. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip a bit,  
  
"Say Ron?" she asked softly. His attention snapped back to her very quickly, and she smiled to let him know she wasn't going to say anything mean, "Do you think...have you ever thought...that we could be more than just friends?"  
  
The idea had hit her before, of course, that they could maybe date. She'd been especially thoughtful of it when he'd gotten all jealous about her dating Viktor Krum. But she'd put the idea out of her head, not wanting to ruin their friendship if something bad were to happen. She cherished the friendship she had with Ron, and with Harry, and didn't want to jeopardize it in any way.  
  
But if Ron felt the same way...maybe it was worth a chance. 


End file.
